Compressed air operable nail driving device



1967 w. MOHRKE ETAL COMPRESSED AIR OPERABLE NAIL DRIVING DEVICE Original Fild June 22, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 17, 1967 w. MOHRKE ETAL COMPRESSED AIR OPERABLE NAIL DRIVING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed June 22, 1962 mm m N N. m w $4 Q. 1 W Qw s u m n m a u m %l\\ w m m 7" N a m Q A e/w: A znz/ .Z a a;

United States Patent Continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 204,532,.rhh 22, p

. 1962. This application Mar. 23, 1965", Ser. No. 442,127

Claims priority, application Germany, June 23, 1961,

B 905 a. 13 Claims. 61. 2 27-114 The present invention relates to a compressed-air operable device for driving nails, and, more specifically, is directed to such a device of the type involved inwhich nail feeding means charged by a nail magazine leads into the guiding means of a driver'which is actuated'by "a compressed air operable piston. The :present application is a continuation of my copending application, Serial No. 204,532, filed June 22, 1962', and entitledCompressed'Air Operable Nail Driving Device, now abandoned. It will be understood that the term nails is intended to include all headed drive in members of the nature of nails including tacks.

It is an object of this invention to provide a device of the above mentioned general type which will make it possible continuously to feed nails into the guiding means for a driver in such a way that the nails will have the position in which they are to be driven; namely, point end foremost.

It is a further objectof this invention to provide a device as set forth in the preceding paragraph, which will operate with a high degree of efiiciency.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a compressed air operable device for driving nails, which will assure that only one nail at a time 'willbe passed into the guiding means for the driver for each driving stroke.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section of a nail driving device according to the present invention;

FIGURE 1a is a fragmentary view drawn at considerable enlarged scale showing how a nail has the head thereof caught in the receiving groove of the magazine;

FIGURE'Z is a sectional view taken along the line IIII of FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 3 and 4 illustrate modifications of the arrangement shown in FIGURES l and 2;

FIGURE 5 illustrates still another embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal section of a still further embodiment of the invention; and

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIGURE 6.

In order to be able to feed the nails continuously to the guiding means for the driver while the nails are placed in a position in which they are driven into the respective material, the present invention provides that a rotating disc for receiving and moving the nails is arranged in a pot-shaped magazine at the bottom thereof while at the upper portion of the magazine wall there are provided guiding means for the nail heads which lead into the guiding passage means connecting the magazine with the guiding means for the driver.

The rotatable disc of the magazine may be actuated in various manners. Thus, for instance, a small electric motor may be arranged below the magazine, and the said disc may be mounted advantageously directly on the shaft of said electric motor. However, if desired, the disc may also be driven by compressed air, for which purpose the "ice lower side of said disc may be provided with vane-like protrusions. In particular, with this last mentioned way of driving thedisc, the discharged air of the drive may be passed upwardly along the wall of the magazine and by means of this airflow an additional moving effect can be exerted on the nails for purposes of guiding the nail heads at: the upper marginal portion of the magazine. However, such additional feeding air flow is also possible when driving the disc of the magazine by an electric motor.

For purposes of insuring that only one nail at a time will be fed to the guiding means-for the driver, a pin movable transverse to the path of the driver and the guiding means for the row of nails is provided which pin is un'der the influence ofstoredpower and is controlled by compressed air in the-driving cylinder through disposition of the driving piston, in such a way that said pin will, prior to each driving stroke of the driver, move the last nail of the row of nails into the path of the driver while acting as bar for following nails in the nail feeding passage.

I Referring now to the drawings in detail and FIGURES 1 and 2 thereof in particular, the drawing shows the essential members of the device, which members are also assumed to be employed in connection with the other embodiments in the other figures of the drawings. More specifically, the arrangement of FIGURES 1 and.2 comprises a cylinder 1 having reciproeably guided therein a piston 2 to which is fastened a driver 3 guided in a passage 4. This passage 4 is located partially in an end face plate 5 and partially in a protrusion 7 of the cylinder bottom 6, plate 5 being detachably connected, as by screws, to part 7. The arrangement of FIGURE 1 furthermore comprises a return means which may be in the form of a spring 8 mounted between the cylinder bottom 6 and pistin 2. Compressed air could also be employed to return the piston. A cylinder head 11 is connected to or forms a part of the holding handle 10 having provided thereinthe compressed air feeding line 9.

A control valve 10ais contained in handle 10 and includes a finger operable element 101) which, when depressed, will release driving air to piston 2 for a working stroke thereof whereas, release of element will permit exhausting of the space above piston 2, whereupon the pis ton is, returned toits retracted position.

Connected to thecylinder bottom 6 and its protrusion 7 is a cylindrical housing forming the magazine 12 for the nails 14 to be driven and adapted to be closed by a lid 13. Near 'the bottom 12:; of the magazine 12 there is rotatably arranged a disc 15 which is fixed to the shaft 16 of an electric motor 17 for rotation with shaft 16. Disc 15 is of metal or synthetic material or may be metal coated with plastic or a rubber-like resilient material. Motor 17 is mounted on the bottom side of the magazine bottom 12a and is provided with a socket 18 for connection with a source of electricity.

The magazine has therein a wear resistant sleeve or lining 30 which may be plastic such as nylon or polyethylene or Teflon or Vulkollon.

The top side of the rotary disc 15 is provided with radially extending rounded ribs 19 as shown particularly clearly in FIGURE 2. The upper edge of a wear-resistant lining 20 of magazine 12 forms, together with one annular groove 21 and 22 each of the magazine housing and of lid 13, a radially inwardly facing circular groove 23 for guiding the nail heads 24. In the housing of magazine 12, starting from an opening 25 in lining 20 of the magazine, there is provided a passage 26 which leads into the passage 4 for the driver, Passage 26 is provided with a groove 27 leading from circular groove 23 for the nail heads 24 and has its cross-section shaped in conformity with the shape of the nails. At least the outer region of the underside of lid 13 carries, or is coated with, a wear-resistant material 13a which will resist wear due to impact of the nails.

As soon as a number of nails has been supplied to the magazine 12 and as soon as motor 17 starts rotating disc 15 at high speed, the said nails are carried along by disc 15 while being subjected to the centrifugal force which moves the nails against the wall of the magazine aided by the radially effective effort of the nails pushing from behind.

Furthermore, the rotating ribs 19 impart upon the nails continuous impact impulses acting at least partially in the upward direction toward lid 13. All of these influences upon the nails causes agitation thereof which will bring about more or less random motion of the nails such that continuously a certain number of nails is fed in upward direction in the magazine and that the heads of a portion thereof, namely, those nails oriented in a certain position and moving in a certain direction, will pass into the groove 23.

Due to the rotation of the mass of nails, the nails carry out a circular movement in groove 23. In the course of this movement, they pass through opening 25 out of the magazine 12 and into the passage 26 along which they are conveyed to the entrance into the passage 4 for the driver 3. The respective nail entering into the passage 4 is en'- gaged and pushed forward by the driver 3 during the downward movement of the latter and, after being aligned :by a pair of jaws 28, is driven into the work pieces 30 and 31. The said pair of jaws 28 is yieldably journalled at the end of passage 4 in an elastic sleeve 29.

According to FIGURE 3, which merely shows the magazine of FIGURE 1 with its parts 12to 23, a number of balls 32 of high wear-resistant material has been added to the mass of nails in the magazine. These balls 32 continuously remain in the magazine and, due to their size, cannot leave the same. The balls 32, which are subjected to the same impulses as the nails, will, due to their forces of inertia, aid the above-mentioned random agitation of the mass of the nails and also aid in the feeding movement of the nails in the discharging direction. This effect continues when the number of the nails in the magazine decreases.

The embodiment shown in FIGURE 4 substantially illustrates the same magazine 12 of FIGURE 1 equipped with an electric motor 17. The magazine 12 of FIGURE 4 differs, however, from that of FIGURE 1 in that, for feeding the nails into the groove 23, in addition to the above-mentioned impulses, advantage is taken of a further force, namely, of an air flow produced by the rotating disc 15. To this end, the bottom side of disc 15 is equipped with flat vanes or ribs 33 of metal or plastic by means of which disc 15, through the intervention of passages 34 extending through the housing of motor 17 and the bottom 14 of the magazine, exerts a suction effect upon the outer air. This brings about an air flow into the magazine which air flow occurs primarily near the magazine wall in upward direction and exerts an additional feeding effect upon nails in the direction toward the groove 23. If the bottom of the motor housing is provided with passages 35, the rotating disc 15 draws in air which passes first through the motor housing where it exerts a cooling effect, and then exerts the above mentioned additional feeding effect upon the nails.

The embodiment according to FIGURE corresponds, as far as the members 1 to 13 and 20 to 23 and 26 to 29 are concerned, to that of FIGURES 1 and 2. However, the embodiment of FIGURE 5 differs from that of FIG- URES 1 and 2 with regard to the drive for the rotating disc 36 of the magazine 12. According to FIGURE 5, for purposes of driving disc 36, compressed air is withdrawn from the compressed air feeding line 9 through a conduit 37 leading downwardly along cylinder 1. Conduit 37 leads into magazine housing 12 below disc 36.

Disc 36, which has its top side provided with radial grooves 19 as described in connection with FIGURE 2 has its bottom side provided with vanes or blades 38 of plastic or metal.

It is upon these vanes or blades 38 that the air impinges which leaves conduit 37 so that the disc 36 will be rotated. After the driving air has left the blades or vanes 38, it passes along the inner wall of the magazine in upward direction and in this way exerts a carrier effect upon the nails moved by disc 36 so as to carry the nails toward groove 23 with the result similar to that described in connection with the preceding embodiments. The feeding air leaves the magazine together with the nails through guiding means 27, 26 and passes through passage or guiding means 4 for the driver into the atmosphere. The air withdrawn from the conduit 9 has sufficient energy for both functions, inasmuch as it is under a relatively high pressure required for the driving operation, for instance, 50 to 150 pounds per square inch.

FIGURES 6 and 7 illustrate a further improvement of the device according to the invention in order to insure that one nail only at a time will be fed to the driver. FIGURES 6 and 7 merely illustrate that part of the device to which the additional arrangement is connected for the just mentioned purpose. The other parts, as, for instance, the magazine and the drive for the rotating disc, have been omitted inasmuch as the said additional device may be connected to any embodiment of FIGURE 1 or the embodiment of FIGURE 5. It is merely necessary that guiding means, for instance 26, 27 of FIGURE 1, are provided which guide the nails from the magazine to the passage 4 for the driver. Therefore, in FIGURES 6 and 7 the numerals 1 to 13, 15, 20, 23, 25, 28 and 29 designate the same elements as they have been described in connection with FIGURES l and 2. The device of FIGURES 6 and 7 differs from that of FIGURES 1 and 2 in the following Way.

The passage 41 which connects the magazine (not shown in FIGURES 6 and 7) with the guiding means 4 for the driver 3 and the feeding trough 42 for the nail heads, in FIGURE 7, leads not directly into the guiding means or passage 4 for the driver but at a certain distance from said guiding means leads at a right angle into a bore 43 which, in its turn, likewise at a right angle leads into the guiding means 4 for the driver. Bore 43, which in FIGURE 6 is shown as being located ahead of the section plane and together with the parts pertaining thereto is illustrated by dot-dash lines, is located at such a level that it hits the shank of the respective nail 44 to be driven shortly below the nail head. In bore 43, a pin 45 is guided so as to be displaceable in longitudinal direction. The end of said pin 45 is by means of a piston 46 displaceably guided in a cylinder 47 under the effect of a pressure spring 48. A compressed air conduit 49 communicating with an opening SI of cylinder 1 leads into cylinder 47.

As has been outlined above in connection with FIG- URES 1 and 2, due to the centrifugal effect of the fast rotating bottom disc 15, the nails filled into the magazine are directed parallel to the direction of rotation of said disc and in this position are fed through opening 25 into the passage 41 while the nail heads are guided in the profiled trough or groove 42. The nails fill the passage 41 in one row up to where the passage leads into bore 43 (FIGURE 7). If, through actuation of the control element or trigger of the device, piston 2 is caused to be pushed downwardly by the compressed air, and when, during this operation the cylinder opening 50 is freed, the compressed air passes through conduit 49 into the cylinder 47 and therein displaces piston 46 while spring 45 is compressed with the result that pin 45 will permit the first nail 44 to pass into bore 43 so that the nail will occupy the position shown in the drawing. In the meantime, piston 2 will, with the driver 3, perform their first downward stroke which, when starting the device with a new magazine filling, will be an idling stroke. Piston .5 2 and driver 3 then perform their return stroke. As soon as during the return stroke, piston 2 frees opening 50, the compressed air under tension will escape from cylinder 47 through conduit 49 and openings 51 of cylinder 1 (FIGURE 6) into the atmosphere. v i

As a result thereof, spring 48 in cylinder 47 can expand and displace piston 46"so that pin 45 pushes nail 44 out of bore 43 into the passage 4 in which the nail by means of the pair of jaws 28' will be heldin drivable position until driver 3 during the next working stroke of piston 2, moves anddrives the nail into the work piece, or the like. During this stroke and the subsequent return stroke and all other followingstrokes, the cycle of piston 46 driven by the working piston 2 and pin 45 will be repeated with the effect that pin 45 always moves a new nail into the passage 4 and, during the driving stroke, prevents the respective next following nail from entering the passage 43. In this Way, it will be assured that only one nail at a time can enter the path of the driver 3 while, however, the devicewill be loaded with a nail for each driving stroke. i

The distance a (FIGURE 7 may alsobe considerably greater than the diameter of the nail heads. This will be advantageous particularly when in conformity with FIG- URES 4 and 5, the nails are fed by an air stream, inasmuch as the feeding efiect of the air stream exerted upon the nails extends up to the guiding means 41 and bore 43 (FIGURE 7) and the air escapes into the passage 4 for the driver.-

In this instance, it will sufficethat pin 45 exerts a push upon the nail as soon as the latter passes the corner formed by the conduit or guiding means 41 with bore 43, whereupon the air stream through the remaining portion of bore 43 moves the nail into the driver passage 4. In its advanced position, pin 45 merely serves-to retain the next following nail in the passage 41.

The feeding of the nails in the guiding means which connect the magazine with the driver passage 4 may also be aided by inclining the guiding means with regard to the guiding means or passage for the driver.

When correspondingly designing the nail guiding means and the driver, and the guiding means for the latter, the invention may be employed with devices for nails of any desired form and size and with any desired nail head. The same applies to such devices in which the piston is returned to its starting position by compressed air.

As will be observed in FIGURE 5, the conduit leading to the plate for conducting and driving air thereto could be taken off from conduit 9 downstream from the control valve Ilia. Thus, compressed air will flow through conduit 7 only when valve 10a is open, namely, during working stroke of the driver. This will conserve compresse air while still supplying nails to the driver.

As a metal to employ in constructing the agitator plate, steel having a rubber-like coating thereon is contemplated which will increase the impulses imparted to the nails by the rotating disc.

It is advantageous for lid 13 to be of transparent material so that the quantity of nails remaining in the magazine can be observed. This is best accomplished by forming the lid of suitably strong plastic material. In this event, it is also desirable for at least an outer annular region of the underside of the lid to be provided with a wear resistant coating such as indicated by heavy line 52 in FIGURE 1.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to different usages and conditions; and accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed: I

1. A compressed air operable nail driving apparatus which comprises; a mouth piece with a discharge passage for receiving nails to be driven into work pieces, a nail driving member reciprocable in said passage for discharging nails supplied into said passage from the latter and driving the nails into work pieces, a cylindrical nail magazine for receiving the nails to be supplied to said discharge passage of said mouth piece, rotatable disc means rotatable in said magazine at one end thereof for receiving the nails in said magazine on one side of the disc means and agitating same so as to impart upon them a movement along a circular path and along the walls of said magazine in a direction away from the disc means, said magazine being provided with an end wall at the opposite end and with guiding means in axially spaced relationship with regard to said disc means for receiving and guiding the head ends only of nails agitated by said disc means, said guiding means comprising a radial surface at the opposite end spaced from said end wall sufficiently to form a radially inwardly facing groove to receive the heads of said nails, and conduit means leading in a substantially tangential direction from said groove of said guiding means to said discharge passage for establishing communication-between said guiding means and said discharge passage in said mouth piece to convey nails from said guiding means to said passage and including means to support the nails in the oriented position in which they are received from said guiding means, said tangential direction being such that the nails are impelled along said conduit means by the energy of the said circular motion thereof in said magazine. 7

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which said disc means has the side thereof facing into said magazine provided with substantially radially extending elevations.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2, in which said disc means has a resilient coating on the side toward said nails.

4. A compressed air operable nail driving apparatus which comprises: a mouth piece with a discharge passage for receiving nails to be driven into work pieces, a nail driving member reciprocable in said passage for discharging nails supplied into said passage from the latter and driving'the nails into work pieces, a nail magazine for receiving the nails to be supplied to said discharge passage of said mouth piece, said magazine comprising a cup-shaped chamber with a substantially cylindrical inner wall and also comprising a lid forming a top end wall detatchably connected to and closing said cup-shaped chamber, said magazine being provided with a radially inwardly facing groove the walls of which are formed by said lid and by the end of said cylindrical inner wall, rotatable disc means rotatable in said chamber at the bottom thereof operable for receiving the nails in said magazine and for agitating said nails so as to impart thereto a movement along a circular path and along said cylindrical inner wall in a direction toward said groove so as to force the heads of some of said nails into and along said groove, and conduit means for said nails leading in a substantially tangential direction from said goove to said discharge passage to convey nails to said passage and including a groove having means to support the heads of said nails in the oriented position in which they are received from said groove of said guiding means, said tangential direction being such that the nails are impelled along said conduit means by the energy of the said circular motion thereof in said magazine.

5. A compressed air operable nail driving apparatus which comp-rises: a mouth piece with a discharge passage for receiving nails to be driven into work pieces, a nail driving member reciprocable in said passage for discharging nails supplied into said passage from the latter and driving the nails into work pieces, a nail magazine for receiving the nails to be supplied to said discharge passage of said mouth piece, said magazine comprising a cupshaped chamber with a substantially cylindrical inner wall and also comprising a lid forming a top wall detachably connected to and closing said cup-shaped chamber, said inner wall comprising a wear resistant sleeve, said magazine being provided with a radially inwardly facing groove the walls of which are formed by said lid and the end of '2 said cylindrical inner wall, rotatable disc means rotatable in said chamber at the bottom thereof operable for receiving thenails in said magazine and for agitating said nails so as to impart thereto a movement along a circular path and along said wall in a direction toward said groove so as to force the heads of some of said nails into and along said annular groove, and conduit for said nails leading in a substantially tangential direction from said groove to said discharge passage to convey nails to said passage and including a groove having means to support the heads of said nails in the oriented position in which they are received from said grooove of said guiding means, said tangential direction being such that the nails are impelled along said conduit means by the energy of the said circular motion thereof in said magazine.

6. A compressed air operable nail driving apparatus which comprises: a mouth piece with a discharge passage for receiving nails to be driven into work pieces, a nail driving member reciprocable in said passage for discharging nails supplied into said passage from the latter and driving the nails into work pieces, a nail magazine for receiving the nails to be supplied to said discharge passage of said mouth piece, said magazine comprising an up Wardly opening cup-shaped chamber with a substantially cylindrical inner wall and also comprising a lid forming a top end wall detachably connected to and closing said cup-shaped chamber at the top, rotatable disc means rotatably mounted in said chamber at the bottom for receiving the nails in said magazine and for agitating said nails so as to impart upon them a movement along a circular path and along said wall of said chamber in the direction toward said lid, said wall being provided with guiding means arranged in axially spaced relationship with regard to said lid to provide an inwardly facing groove for receiving and guiding the head ends only of nails agitated by said disc means, electric motor means drivingly connected to said disc means and arranged below said disc means, said magazine being provided with air conducting conduit means adjacent said motor means and said disc means for admitting air through said conduit means for cooling said motor means and aiding the action of said disc means to impart a movement upon the nails agitated by said disc means along said wall of said chamber, and conduit means leading in a substantially tangential direction from said cylindrical inner wall to convey nails from said guiding means to said passage and including means to support the nails in the oriented position in which they are received from said guide means, said tangential direction being such that the nails are impelled along said conduit means by the energy or" the said circular motion thereof in said magazine.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which the other side of said disc means is provided with air actuating vanes for impelling air as the disc means rotates.

8. A compressed air operable nail driving apparatus which comprises: a mouth piece with a discharge passage for receiving nails to be driven into work pieces, a nail driving member reciprocable in said passage for discharging nails supplied into said passage from the latter and driving the nails into work pieces, a cylindrical nail magazine for receiving the nails to be supplied to said discharge passage of said mouth piece and having its axis vertical, rotatable disc means rotatable in said magazine at the bottom for receiving the nails in said magazine and agitating same so as to impart upon them a movement along a circular path and upwardly along the walls of said magazine, the bottom side of said disc means being provided with air operable blades, conduit means connectable to a source of compressed air and leading to said blades for conveying compressed air thereto to thereby rotate said 'blades, said magazine being provided with guiding means in axially spaced relationship with regard to said disc means for receiving and guiding the head ends only of nails agitated by said disc means, and conduit means leading in a substantially tangential direction from said guiding means to said discharge passage for establishing communication between said guiding means and said discharge passage in said mouth piece to convey nails from said guiding means to said passage and including means to support the nails in the oriented position in which they are received from said guide means, said tangential direction being such that the nails are impelled along said conduit means by the energy of the said circular motion thereof in said magazine said magazine being open to the space provided for said air operable blades and the air supplied to said disc means being discharged through said conduit means to assist the movement of said nails along said conduit means.

9. A compressed air operable nail driving apparatus which comprises: a cylinder, an actuating piston reciprocable in said cylinder from a retracted position into an advanced position and vice versa, conduit means connected to one end of said cylinder for supplying compressed air thereto for moving said piston from a retracted positionto an advanced position, a mouth piece connected to the other end of said cylinder and having a nail discharge passage for receiving nails to be driven into work pieces, a driving member reciprocable in said discharge passage and operatively connected to said piston for discharging a nail received in said discharge passage from the latter and driving nail into Work pieces, a nail feeding passage extending into said mouth piece and leading into said discharge passage, a cylindrical nail magazine for receiving the nails to be supplied to said discharge passage of said mouth piece having its axis vertical, rotatable disc means rotatable in said magazine for receiving the nails in said magazine and agitating said nails so as toimpart thereto a movement along a circular path and upwardly along the walls of said magazine, said magazine being provided with guiding means in axially spaced relationship with regard to said disc means for receiving and guiding the head ends only of nails agitated by said disc means, additional guiding means leading from said first mentioned guiding means into said nail feeding passage at a. portion thereof spaced from said discharge passage in axial direction of said nail feeding passage, said additional guiding means comprising conduit means leading in a substantially tangential direction from said guiding means to said discharge passage for establishing communication between said guiding means and said discharge passage in said mouthpiece to convey nails from said guiding means to said passage and including means to support the nails in the oriented position in which they are received from said guide means, said tangential direction being such thatthe nails are impelled along said conduit means by the energy of the said circular motion thereof in said magazine, a nail feeding member movable in said 'nail feeding passage from a first position in front of the point where said additional guiding means leads into said nail feeding passage into a second position away from said first position so as to establish free communication between said additional guiding means and said nail feeding passage, and means responsive to a certain movement of said actuating piston from its retracted position toward said advanced position for actuating said nail feeding member to move a nail passed through said additional guiding means into said nail feeding passage from the latter into said discharge passage.

10. A compressed air operable nail driving apparatus which comprises: discharge passage means for receiving nails to be driven and a nail driving member reciprocable in said passage, a cylindrical nail magazine for receiving nails to be supplied to said discharge passage, rotatable disc means forming an end wall of said magazine and including means operable for agitating the nails in the magazine upon rotation of the disc means to drive the nails in random circular and axial movement in said magazine, a radially inwardly facing peripheral groove around the end of the magazine opposite the disc means operable for receiving heads of nails when the nails are driven thereto in a certain oriented position, and conduit means having the shape of and leading tangentially from a slot in said cylindrical wall for the shanks of said nails and a groove at the end of said slot leading from said peripheral groove to said passage means, the direction of said tangential conduit means being such that the direction of movement of the heads of the nails in said groove will cause the nails to enter said conduit means.

11. A compressed air operable nail driving apparatus which comprises: discharge passage for receiving nails to be driven and a nail driving member reciprocable in said passage, a cylindrical nail magazine for receiving nails to be supplied to said discharge passage, rotatable disc means forming an end wall of said magazine end including means operable for agitating the nails in the magazine upon rotation of the disc means to drive the nails in random circular and axial movement in said magazine, a radially inwardly facing peripheral groove around the end of the magazine opposite the disc means operable for receiving heads of nails When the nails are driven thereto in a certain oriented position, and conduit means having a slot in said wall and a groove leading tangentially from said peripheral groove to said passage means, the direction of said tangential conduit means being such that the direction of movement of the nails in said groove will cause the nails to enter said conduit means, compressed air operable means for actuating said driving member, a supply conduit for compressed air having a control valve therein, and compressed air operable means for driving said disc in rotation.

12. The combination, with a nail driver having a nail passage from which the nails are driven in a predetermined oriented position of a feeder for delivering nails in said position to said passage and comprising means forming a generally vertical cylindrical chamber disposed laterally of said passage, a lid at the top of the chamber removable for charging the chamber with loose nails,

a disc forming the :bottom wall of the chamber, means for rotating the disc, rib means on the top of the disc whereby rotation of the disc will cause nails resting thereon to take a circular movement in the chamber with simultaneous agitation of the nails to cause movement thereof axially of the chamber with random orientation, a radially inwardly facing peripheral groove in the chamber adjacent the lid a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the heads of the nails and of an axial dimension such as to receive the heads of the nails only when the heads are presented thereto edgewise, and conduit means leading in a tangential direction from said groove to said passage to carry nails from said groove to said passage and so shaped in cross sectional configuration as to provide a groove leading from said peripheral groove to supportingly engage the nails on the undersides of the heads thereof thereby to support the nails in said oriented position during movement thereof along said conduit means.

13. The combination according to claim 12, in which said groove is formed partly in the top of the peripheral Wall of said chamber and partly in the underside of said lid, and in which said tangential direction is the same direction as that taken by the nails in the circular movement thereof in the region where the conduit means connects with said groove.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,163,699 12/1915 Smith 227-114 X 1,653,065 12/1927 Ross 227l14 X 2,048,930 7/1936 Hansen et al 2271 14 X 2,187,692 1/1940 Oeckl 2271l2 2,936,454 5/1960 Lundeberg 2271 14 X 2,939,145 6/1960 Lundeberg 227-1 14 X 2,976,538 3/1961 Kamborian 227-1 12 3,099,837 8/1963 Heilman et al.

GRANVILLE Y. GUST-ER, 111., Primary Examiner. 

1. A COMPRESSED AIR OPERABLE NAIL DRIVING APPARATUS WHICH COMPRISES; A MOUTH PIECE WITH A DISCHARGE PASSAGE FOR RECEIVING NAILS TO BE DRIVEN INTO WORK PIECES, A NAIL DRIVING MEMBER RECIPROCABLE IN SAID PASSAGE FOR DISCHARGING NAILS SUPPLIED INTO SAID PASSAGE FROM THE LATTER AND DRIVING THE NAILS INTO WORK PIECES, A CYLINDRICAL NAIL MAGAZINE FOR RECEIVING THE NAILS TO BE SUPPLIED TO SAID DISCHARGE PASSAGE OF SAID MOUTH PIECE, ROTATABLE DISC MEANS ROTATABLE IN SAID MAGAZINE AT ONE END THEREOF FOR RECEIVING THE NAILS IN SAID MAGAZINE ON ONE SIDE OF THE DISC MEANS AND AGITATING SAME SO AS TO IMPART UPON THEM A MOVEMENT ALONG A CIRCULAR PATH AND ALONG THE WALLS OF SAID MAGAZINE IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE DISC MEANS, SAID MAGAZINE BEING PROVIDED WITH AN END WALL AT THE OPPOSITE END AND WITH GUIDING MEANS IN AXIALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH REGARD TO SAID DISC MEANS FOR RECEIVING AND GUIDING THE HEAD ENDS ONLY OF NAILS AGITATED BY SAID DISC MEANS, SAID GUIDING MEANS COMPRISING A RADIAL SURFACE AT THE OPPOSITE END SPACED FROM SAID END WALL SUF- 